First Top Prizes Claimed On Two New Lottery Scratch Games

To download image, right click on image, then navigate to 'Save Picture As'
to save this file to your computer. To download digital audio files of this story, right
click here, then navigate to "Save Target As" to save this file to your computer.

Hear Brad tell his story.

To download image, right click on image, then navigate to 'Save Picture As'
to save this file to your computer. To download digital audio files of this story, right
click here, then navigate to "Save Target As" to save this file to your computer.

DES MOINES, Iowa - Two big prizes were claimed by Iowa Lottery players Thursday on instant-scratch tickets
from a new series of games that went on sale Monday.

A woman from southern Iowa and a man from the northern part of the state claimed prizes of $100,000 and $50,000,
respectively.

Connie Jo Kelly of Bussey claimed the first of six top prizes of $100,000 available in the "Make My
Year™" game.

"I don't even know what to say, it's like a dream," Kelly told lottery employees as she claimed
her prize at the lottery's headquarters in Des Moines.

Brad Zipse of Northwood claimed the first of seven top prizes of $50,000 available in the "Make My
Month™" game.

Zipse told lottery employees that he didn't get much sleep as he waited to claim his prize Thursday morning
at the lottery's regional office in Mason City.

"I pretty much tossed and turned all night," he said. "I didn't want to lose it or have
something happen to the ticket."

The lottery's Make My Year™ and Make My Month™ games are part of a series of games that have a
similar look, feel and gameplay, but vary in size, cost and prizes offered. The price point and top prize increase
with the length of time indicated in the game's name. For example, players can win up to $50,000 playing the
$5 Make My Month™ game, but can win up to $100,000 playing the $10 Make My Year™ game. A $1 Make My
Day™ ticket and a $2 Make My Week™ ticket are part of the same series of games. Players scratch the
"stars" in the playing area on each ticket and match game symbols to win prizes.

Five top prizes of $100,000 are still up for grabs in Make My Year™, as well as eight prizes of $10,000,
267 prizes of $1,000 and hundreds of prizes of $300 and $100.

Six top prizes of $50,000 are still up for grabs in Make My Month™, as well as 96 prizes of $1,000,
512 prizes of $200 and thousands of prizes of $100.

Kelly, 60, said that she had a "hunch," and whenever she has a hunch she buys lottery tickets. Her
hunch paid off, as she said she won several small prizes playing the "Make My" series of games. Kelly
said she used the $10 she had won on a Make My Month ticket to purchase her winning Make My Year™ ticket at
Git-N-Go, 209 E. Oskaloosa St. in Pella.

"I just said make my year - sounds pretty good to me," she said. "I went out to my Jeep and
scratched it off and did 50,000 blanks and I don't know how many deep breaths before I realized that I had
won $100,000."

Kelly said she asked the store clerk to double-check her winning ticket before she started to celebrate.

"I said, 'Could you verify this? Make sure that this is true before I start hopping up and
down,'" she said. "That machine said, 'You're a winner!' and I hopped up and down on
that one."

Kelly then called her husband, Bob, to share her good news.

"I said, 'Remember when I always dream about calling you and telling you I won $100,000?'"
she said. "And he goes, 'Yeah.' And I said, 'I just did!'"

Bob, 53, said he initially thought something bad had happened since his wife rarely calls him at work.

"Then she told me that she won $100,000 and then I did hoot and I jumped up," he said.

Kelly said her lottery winnings will help her retire from Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella, where she has worked
since 2005. She also said she plans to pay off some bills and share some of her winnings with her children.

Zipse, 44, said he normally purchases a different scratch game, but decided Wednesday to purchase the $5 Make
My Month™ game at North Star Xpress, 712 Eighth St. N in Northwood.

"I bought one and it was a loser so I asked the kid to give me another one," he said. "I went
out to the truck and I started scratching it off and it came up $50,000!"

Zipse, who works for an excavating company, said he immediately went back in the store to have the clerk
double-check his winning ticket.

"The clerk gave me a high five, he couldn't believe it," he said.

Zipse said his wife died of cancer in 2009, so his lottery winnings will help with the family's expenses.

'The Shipping 20' Win $241 Million Jackpot!

Helpful Links

Prizes and Proceeds

Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $3.2 billion in prizes while the lottery
has raised more than $1.5 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety
of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was
implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.

Player Info

The Iowa Lottery makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the winning numbers, prize payouts and other information
posted on the Iowa Lottery website. The official winning numbers are those selected in the respective drawings and recorded
under the observation of an independent accounting firm. In the event of a discrepancy, the official drawing results shall
prevail. All names, logos and information contained within these pages are meant for personal use only and may not be
reproduced or distributed without the expressed written consent of the Iowa Lottery. You must be at least 21 years old to purchase
Iowa Lottery tickets. Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-BETSOFF for help.